Where it All Began
My breastfeeding journey began three years ago when I became a Certified Lactation Counselor (CLC). Through the education and certification process, I learned some great skills that allowed me to work with and assist new moms with breastfeeding. As a result, I did not have the same concerns many expectant mothers have regarding feeding my daughter. I was confident that my experience as a CLC as well as the techniques and skills I learned would be more than enough to help me through it all. However, everything changed after my daughter was born and I began breastfeeding her; I knew from the start that something wasn’t right.
The Struggle Was Real
In the beginning, my breastfeeding sessions with my daughter were exceptionally painful for me. The pain was so bad at first that I cried through my middle of the night feeds. It wasn’t long before the medical staff at the hospital began discussing the possible need to supplement my breastfeeding with formula feeding because my baby had lost 10% of her weight since birth. I wanted to keep breastfeeding, but the difficulties 
I had encountered were making it seem impossible. At that moment, something had to give, so I went to see an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) about the pain I was experiencing and the possible causes. After a quick examination of my newborn and my breasts, my suspicions about the sources of the pain were confirmed as a tongue and lip tie that my baby girl had at birth. The tethers in her mouth were preventing her from developing a proper latch and were interfering with normal breastfeeding operations.
Perseverance Paid Off
After visiting the IBCLC, I was directed to begin exclusively pumping and was able to produce enough milk for my baby this way until my nipples healed from the damage done 
due to the improper latch. During this time, my husband took on the responsibility of finger feeding our child using the milk that I pumped. Once my nipples healed, I struggled with pain during nursing for eight more weeks until my daughter, and I got the hang of things. Today, I am glad I never gave up because I now have a beautiful breastfeeding relationship with my 6-month-old.
At Hush Hush Little Baby, we recognize that breastfeeding is not the right choice for all mothers and we respect a mother’s right to choose how she will feed her baby. Fortunately, for those mothers that choose to formula feed, there are some excellent formula options available to them, and one of our favorites is Honest Company’s Organic Premium Formula. The reason we love Honest’s formula is because it is designed to mimic breast milk to provide optimum nutrition for your baby while using only naturally derived and organic materials.